Television series

Alexa & Katie

Two best friends navigate freshman year when one is diagnosed with cancer. Alexa & Katie balances genuine emotion with humour, treating illness as a fact of life rather than a tragedy to overcome. It's for anyone who's felt like an outsider, or anyone who just loves watching real friendship in action.

TVMaze rating3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoyed the warm, unfussy teen friendship stories of early Disney Channel shows and want something gentle about two girls who still feel like a team.

Skip it if you want sharp edges or a fast plot, since it moves at a leisurely pace and leans on sweetness and everyday worries rather than big surprises.

What it asks of you: Each episode runs about half an hour and four seasons stack up to a long, easy commitment, with a light touch that rewards patience more than close attention.

If you liked this

Never Have I Ever2020

Devi's journey from outsider to belonging works with the same warmth and specificity. The show nails the comedy of adolescence without punching down, and its emotional beats land because the characters feel real.

But It leans into teen drama tropes, and some plot threads spiral into soap opera territory by season three.

Never Have I Ever poster

Atypical2017

Sam's story about being different, finding his people, and navigating high school feels like a spiritual sibling. The family dynamics are just as important as the central character's journey, and it's genuinely funny.

But The first season is stronger than later ones, and the show sometimes oversimplifies neurodivergence for narrative convenience.

Atypical poster

Anne with an E2017

A girl who doesn't fit in finds her tribe and discovers who she is. The show captures adolescent intensity beautifully, with humour that springs from character rather than jokes, and real stakes that matter.

But It gets darker and heavier as it progresses. If you want lightness throughout, this isn't it.

Anne with an E poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Alexa & Katie

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Fault in Our Stars2014

Both refuse the inspiration narrative. Alexa is not here to teach you about courage; she's here to be a teenager who happens to be ill.

Two teenagers meeting and falling in love while navigating illness. It treats sickness as a backdrop to living, not a tragedy to survive, and finds genuine humour alongside heartbreak. The dialogue crackles.

But If you find the central conceit manipulative, there's no way past it. And some people find the cuteness of the leads and their banter cloying rather than charming.

The Fault in Our Stars poster
More like this (8)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017

A woman finds her voice and her community. The dialogue sparkles, the ensemble cast is uniformly excellent, and it has genuine heart beneath the wit. It's about becoming who you're meant to be.

But The pacing is relentless—some people find it exhausting rather than exhilarating. And it's very New York, very 1950s-specific.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel poster

Ginny & Georgia2021

Two strong female leads, complicated family dynamics, and a refusal to make high school feel trivial. It's got real stakes alongside the coming-of-age stuff, and the friendship at its core genuinely matters.

But It tries to do too much at once, and some plot threads feel unearned. The tone can be uneven.

Ginny & Georgia poster

The Afterparty2022

Best friends untangling a mystery together, with wildly different genres and visual styles per episode. It's clever without being smug, funny without sacrificing warmth, and the friendship feels earned.

But The gimmick—each episode a different genre—might feel grating rather than fresh. And it hinges on mystery elements that don't all pay off equally.

The Afterparty poster

Kim's Convenience2016

A tight ensemble cast, laugh-out-loud comedy that never mocks its characters, and genuine heart. The show finds both humour and tenderness in family relationships and cultural identity.

But It's deliberately small in scope—not everyone wants a show that's content to stay domestic and intimate. Seasons later than the first two lose some charm.

Kim's Convenience poster

Schitt's Creek2015

A found family of misfits, comedic timing that earns every laugh, and character growth that feels earned across seasons. It's genuinely funny and genuinely moving without ever becoming sappy.

But The first season is uneven as the show finds its voice. And if fish-out-of-water comedy isn't your thing, you won't connect.

Schitt's Creek poster

Sweet Magnolias2020

Female friendships at the centre, ensemble cast that clicks, and drama that feels grounded in character rather than contrivance. It's soapy but with real emotional weight.

But The plotting can feel overstuffed, and some storylines resolve too neatly. It aims for *Steel Magnolias* but sometimes lands in melodrama.

Sweet Magnolias poster

Everything Sucks!2018

Both are about outsiders turning their oddness into belonging, but this one does it through absurdist comedy and pop culture worship rather than sentiment.

A comedy about misfits saving their school's drama and AV programs from being cut. It's genuinely hilarious, has real heart, and captures the specific joy of finding your people in a place that doesn't value you.

But It was cancelled after one season, so there's no closure. And the humour is pitched at a different register—raunchier, more cynical—than Alexa & Katie.

Everything Sucks! poster

My Life as a Teenage Robot2003

Both centre on a girl who is fundamentally different in a way she cannot hide, and both celebrate her refusing to shrink to fit in.

Cartoon about a robot girl trying to live a normal teenage life and be accepted. It's funnier and more touching than it has any right to be, with real emotional depth beneath the jokes and sci-fi premise.

But It's animated, which some dismiss automatically. And while it has heart, it never gets as serious as Alexa & Katie does—it stays in lighter territory.

My Life as a Teenage Robot poster

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